TimesLeader.com

Dupont airman died in famous Kassel Mission in 1944

Nephew was on class trip to Washington when marker placed at Arlington

By Ed Ackerman eackerman@psdispatch.com
Pittston Sunday Dispatch Editor

Joe Lello, of Jenkins Township, graduated from Dupont High School nearly 60 years ago but the memory of his class trip to Washington, D.C., is still vivid. That’s because it was more than just a class trip. It was also the funeral for his uncle Sylvester who was killed in action in World War II.

click image to enlarge

The name of Sylvester Lello, of Dupont, is engraved on this marker in Arlington National Cemetery, indicating the final resting of four airmen killed in the Kassel Mission in Germany in 1944. The photo was take by Staton Meade, a niece of Lello.

Select images available for purchase in the
Times Leader Photo Store

Joe and his Dupont High classmates were in attendance when S/Sgt. Sylvester Lello and three others killed during the Kassel Mission over Germany on Sept. 27, 1944, were buried with a common marker at Arlington National Cemetery. Sylvester Lello was his dad’s younger brother.

Sylvester was among the casualties in what is described as one of the most disastrous U.S. air battles ever. In just over three minutes, 25 B-24s – with Sylvester Lello as a nose gunner on the one called “Hot Rock” – went down in a forest in central Germany after losing their way during a bombing raid of Kassel. They were with the 445th Bomb Group.

Only four of 35 B-24s made it back to the base at Tibenham, England.

The 445th was actor Jimmy Stewart’s original bomb group.

Joe Lello recalls his uncle as himself having movie star good looks. “He was a red-headed Italian with curly hair, very handsome,” Joe said of his uncle who was only 24 when he died. “My Uncle Sylvester’s brother Charlie was killed in a coal mine accident a few years earlier,” Lello added. “He was known as a good baseball player.”

Joe, who is a history buff, said his uncle was one of 20 of his relatives who fought in World War II and all but two returned home safely. The other who made the supreme sacrifice was Ray Rosato who was killed not far from where his father was born near Naples, Italy.

Joe, 77, served later during the Korean Conflict stationed in Japan with the U.S. Coast Guard.

In researching the Kassel Mission, Joe found that two other local men served with the 445th at the time of the battle. Joseph Wozniak’s plane was damaged while taxiing and he remained behind, eventually returning home and passing away about a year ago. Pat Hudak, who drew guard duty and thus avoided the fateful mission, is still living.

In a report about the mission, Wozniak was quoted as saying, “It wasn’t so lucky for my hometown buddy Sylvester V. Lello. He was thinking of joining our crew, but at the last minute chose another, resulting in his death.”

Joe has a letter dated July 29, 1945, from a tail gunner on his uncle’s plane who managed to survive. Frank Plesa, of Kansas City, Kansas, took the time to write to Sylvester’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Lello, and tell them what he knew of their son’s death.

Joe recalls that the chaperone on his class trip to Washington, Mr. Kundla, had two brothers killed in World War II.

Joe said Sylvester Lello has two surviving siblings living in Dupont, Theresa Lolli and Louis Lello.

Joe has visited the marker at Arlington several times over the years and has a photo taken by his cousin Staton Meade.